Moscow Borough Building | Moscow , PA| United States

WELCOME

The Borough of Moscow is proud to be able to provide to you this site as a resource of our community information and as a community guide. It is our intention that this will assist in answering questions you may have concerning the Borough Council and the role of the different Borough Departments. Regardless of whether you are a permanent resident of Moscow, or are simply visiting, we hope you will take the time to appreciate the Borough and the people in it and by all means, feel free to contact the Borough office or stop by if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Mayor and Council - Borough of Moscow

BOROUGH NOTIFICATIONS:

The Borough does its best to notify residents of any changes or events that may occur through Facebook, Website, Nextdoor Moscow, Phone Message, Newspaper, Outdoor Memo Board, Newsletter and Email. If you have not already provided the Borough Office with your email address to receive such notifications and wish to do so, contact the Borough Office with your address.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: COVID19 UPDATES:

Due to the Coronavirus, the Moscow Borough Building is closed to the General Public until further notice. If you need to drop something off for the Police Department or Borough Office, you may leave it in the box next to the main entrance door during regular business hours, which are now 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. until further notice. If you need to pick something up, please contact the Borough Office to make arrangements, at 570-842-1699.

In addition, while Borough parks will remain open, all park equipment is off-limits to the General Public until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience but we are making safety of our residents and employees a priority. We urge all residents to heed the STAY AT HOME directive and stay safe.

REAL ESTATE TAX COLLECTIONS: All in person payments for the 2020 Real Estate taxes have been suspended. All payments must be mailed to Constance Sanko, Moscow Borough Real Estate Tax Collector, 127 Orchard Street, Moscow, PA 18444.

Moscow Borough is waiving the ten percent (10%) late penalty fee for this calendar year for taxes imposed on the assessed value of real property located in Moscow Borough if the taxes are paid in full by December 31, 2020.

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History of Moscow

Moscow Borough was established in 1908 by citizens interested in creating improved services to their thriving community. W. B. Miller became the town's first Burgess.

The area we call Moscow was given that name at some point in the 1850s. Exactly how the name came to the area is not clear. Originally called Drinker's Beech and named for Henry Drinker, a Quaker from Philadelphia, who gained possession of nearly three square miles of land and began harvesting the local beech trees. A roadway carved through the wilderness cut through what we know today as Main Street or Route 435 was named Drinker Turnpike.

Some people believe that the Reverend Peter Rupert, a Lutheran minister, renamed the area after his former home in Moscow, Russia. There is no firm evidence that he, nor settlers from Russia, named the area. The Reverend Rupert did build a log cabin tavern to service stage coach travelers making the arduous journey between Philadelphia and the interior of New York State.

It is possible that the area could have easily been renamed Moscow at the whim of the first postmaster Leander Griffen who opened the settlement's first general store in 1854.

The construction of a rail line from Scranton to the transportation hub of Hoboken, New Jersey increased the importance of the area not only for commerce but also as a destination for vacationers, who used the rail lines to visit the numerous local hotels built in this beautiful country setting. By the early 1900's there was even a daily commuter train called "the accommodation train" bringing workers from Moscow to Scranton. Today, the Victorian-era Moscow railroad station is a reminder of the profound influence rail transportation has had on this area.

This area continues to grow in a family-friendly environment with its shops, restaurants, recreation and, of course, the train station and Steamtown excursions.